Medicare by state
Medicare in Massachusetts: enrollment, free help, and what to know
1,512,967 people in Massachusetts have Medicare, and 35.8% of them are in a Medicare Advantage plan, below the national figure of 51.2%. Free, unbiased help with any Medicare question is available from Serving Health Insurance Needs of Everyone (SHINE) at 1-800-243-4636.
Massachusetts at a glance (May 2026)
People with Medicare
1,512,967
of 70,465,854 nationally
In Medicare Advantage
35.8%
below the national figure (51.2%); +6.6 points since May 2021
In Original Medicare
64.2%
above the national figure (48.8%)
Part D enrollees getting Extra Help
31.7%
above the national figure (24.5%)
Free Medicare help in Massachusetts
Serving Health Insurance Needs of Everyone (SHINE) is Massachusetts's State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP). Its counselors are trained, are not permitted to sell insurance, and help for free with enrollment, plan comparisons, appeals and Extra Help applications.
Medicare itself answers questions around the clock at 1-800-633-4227 (TTY 1-877-486-2048).
We are not the SHIP and are not affiliated with it or with Medicare. Our editorial team writes this page from public CMS data; nobody on our staff takes your call, discusses a specific plan with you, or enrolls you in coverage. When you call, you reach a licensed agent at a partner agency — that agent, not us, is the one permitted to discuss specific plans and help you enroll.
What works the same in every state
- Your enrollment windows depend on your birthday and on whether you are still working, not on where you live. Enter your birthday and see your own dates: Medicare Enrollment Timeline
- If you are within a year of 65, the step-by-step guide walks the whole year, from seven months before your birthday to your first month on Medicare: Turning 65 guide
- Extra Help with Part D costs is a federal program with one national income and resource test. Check in two minutes whether you are in range: Extra Help screener
- Other state programs — Medicaid, Medicare Savings Programs and the state's own counseling — are collected here: State resources
Medigap rules differ by state
Medicare Supplement (Medigap) protections — when you can switch plans without health questions, and what a company may charge — are set by each state, and they vary widely. This page does not state Massachusetts's rules. Before you buy or change a Medigap policy, ask Serving Health Insurance Needs of Everyone (SHINE) at 1-800-243-4636; the counselor can tell you the current rule and it costs nothing to ask.
Sources and method
- Enrollment figures: CMS "Medicare Monthly Enrollment", May 2026 (baseline May 2021). Medicare Advantage share is beneficiaries in a Medicare Advantage or other private plan over all beneficiaries; Extra Help share counts deemed-eligible and applied Low-Income Subsidy recipients over Part D enrollees. CMS
- Counseling contact: the national SHIP directory (https://www.shiphelp.org/ships/), Massachusetts entry. shiphelp.org
- A higher or lower share of any kind of coverage is not a recommendation. The right coverage depends on your doctors, your prescriptions and your budget.
Data last fetched: CMS September 10, 2026 · SHIP September 11, 2026